Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is appropriate for an ambulance with a single crew member to attend emergency calls.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is appropriate for attendance by an ambulance with a single crew member to be classified as a response for the purpose of response time statistics.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulance shifts are regularly covered by ambulances with a single crew member.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last reviewed the necessary level of relief staff in ambulance stations.

Malcolm Chisholm: This is an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service. I can, however, advise you that the service regularly reviews its operational performance addressing all of the factors which influence that performance. These include demand on the service, staffing levels generally and specifically covering relief requirements, training demands and sickness levels.

  There are no rostered single crewed ambulance shifts. Where single crewed ambulances are operating it is because of short notice unplanned absences. Across Scotland the incidence of such responses last year was 0.69% of all calls.

  In those circumstances where a single crewed accident and emergency ambulance provides the first response to an emergency call, staff in the operations room ensure that this is backed up by a double crewed resource at the first available opportunity. The single crewed response is only recorded against the response times target if the follow up resource reaches the patient within 14/18/21 minutes (depending on population density) of the call being received.

Ambulance Service

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why ambulance crews members are paid a single hourly rate, unlike other members of NHS staff.

Malcolm Chisholm: Pay and conditions of service for ambulance service staff are negotiated and agreed by staff side representatives and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Ambulance Service

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which staff grades within the Scottish Ambulance Service receive (a) enhanced or (b) overtime rates.

Malcolm Chisholm: Overtime rates of pay are paid to ambulance frontline staff, paramedic technicians, operations room assistants, maintenance staff, driver/handymen and administrative and clerical staff within the Scottish Ambulance Service staff.

Ambulance Service

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulance shifts were not covered in the Lothian NHS Board area in each of the last (a) three years and (b) seven months.

Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not available for the Lothian NHS Board area for the periods in question. The manpower planning system used in other parts of Scotland to provide this detail has only recently been installed in this area.

  What we do know is that in recent weeks, in the Lothian NHS Board area, the number of uncovered shifts amounts to less than 1% of all rostered shifts.

Health

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22468 by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 February 2002, whether it and the Common Services Agency have completed their exploration of the creation of a combined community and hospital medicines utilisation database and, if so, whether such a database will be created.

Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26868 on 2 July 2002.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25278 by Ms Margaret Curran on 22 May 2002, what percentage of homes provided in projects receiving funding assistance from Scottish Homes or Communities Scotland have been for (a) outright ownership, (b) shared ownership and (c) affordable rent, broken down into Scottish Homes or Communities Scotland area of operation, in each year since the inception of Scottish Homes.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Mr Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  The national percentage of homes provided in projects receiving funding assistance from Scottish Homes/Communities Scotland since 1989-90 is as follows:

  Percentage of Homes Provided in Projects Receiving Funding Assistance from Scottish Homes/Communities Scotland (1989-90 to 2001-02)

  
 Year
Affordable Rent
Shared Ownership
Owner Occupation
Total 
1989-90 89.2%
7.9% 2.9%
100% 
1990-91 67.4%
13.7% 18.9%
100% 
1991-92 68.6%
11.5% 19.9%
100% 
1992-93 65.9%
14.7% 19.4%
100% 
1993-94 65.9%
15.9% 18.2%
100% 
1994-95 62.9%
12.9% 24.2%
100% 
1995-96 62.7%
17.1% 20.1%
100% 
1996-97 55.8%
13.1% 31.1%
100% 
1997-98 60.5%
12.6% 27.0%
100% 
1998-99 62.9%
9.5% 27.6%
100% 
1999-2000 67.6%
4.5% 27.9%
100% 
2000-01 81.1%
3.2% 15.7%
100% 
2001-02 93.0%
5.9% 1.0%
100% 

  A breakdown of the percentage of homes provided by Scottish Homes/Communities Scotland by area of operation cannot be provided due to a number of changes in geographic structure during the period 1989-90 to 2001-02.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25278 by Ms Margaret Curran on 22 May 2002, what percentage of homes provided in projects programmed to receive funding assistance from Communities Scotland will be for (a) ownership, (b) shared ownership and (c) affordable rent, broken down into Communities Scotland area of operation, in each year for which forward programming figures are available.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Mr Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  The percentage of homes provided in projects programmed to receive funding assistance from Communities Scotland in 2002-03 is as follows:

  Percentage of Homes Provided in Projects Receiving Funding Assistance from Communities Scotland (2002-2003)

  
 Area Office
Affordable Rent
Shared Ownership
Owner Occupation
Total 
Inverness 75.2%
0.0% 24.8%
100% 
Aberdeen 88.4%
0.0% 11.6%
100% 
Dundee 92.8%
3.2% 4.0%
100% 
Edinburgh 89.8%
2.2% 8.0%
100% 
Hamilton/Ayr 84.3%
1.4% 14.4%
100% 
Paisley 98.7%
0.0% 1.3%
100% 
Glasgow 71.0%
1.4% 27.6%
100% 
Total 83.0%
1.3% 15.7%
100%

Learning Disabilities

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much resources have been transferred from the NHS to local authorities in respect of learning disability provision in each year from 1996-97 to date, broken down by local authority.

Mr Frank McAveety: Information about resource transfer for adults with learning disabilities is contained in Table 7.5 of Scottish Community Care Statistics 2001 , published by the Scottish Executive in August 2002. A copy of this document is being made available to the Parliament’s Reference Centre. The document is also available on the Scottish Executive’s website:

  www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00180-00.asp.

Learning Disabilities

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with learning disabilities have moved out of hospital since the publication of The Same as You? .

Mr Frank McAveety: The number of average occupied beds in the learning disability speciality reduced from 1,832 at end-March 2000 (the nearest available date to when The same as you? was published in May 2000) to 1,521 at end-March 2001 (the latest date for which figures are available), a reduction of 311 or 17%. (source: Scottish Community Care Statistics 2001 –  Table 2.14).

Learning Disabilities

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the nature of end accommodation provision has been for the people with learning difficulties who have moved out of hospital since the publication of The Same as You? .

Mr Frank McAveety: Individuals leaving hospital have gone to different settings depending on their assessed needs, the wishes of the individual concerned, and the policies of the local authority. These include sheltered housing and supported accommodation, care homes, own tenancies with packages of care and support, and a few have purchased their own homes.

Learning Disabilities

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with learning disabilities have had more than two moves since leaving hospital since the publication of The Same as You?.

Mr Frank McAveety: This information requested is not held centrally.

Learning Disabilities

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been provided for advocacy for people with learning disabilities since the publication of The Same as You? ; what service provision this has secured, and how the quality and scope of service provision are being monitored.

Mr Frank McAveety: The amount of funding spent on advocacy services for people with a learning disability was £970,000 in 2001-02 rising to £1.25 million in 2002-03. It is not possible to define how much of this funding was drawn down from the Change Fund or other sources. Service provision will be developed to meet local need and is a matter for the local agencies. The Advocacy Safeguard Agency has overall responsible for monitoring the scope and quality of the services provided, the funder will also retain their usual monitoring and evaluation arrangements.

NHS Funding

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27064 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 July 2002, whether there is a shortfall between the funding of £754 million allocated to Lothian NHS Board and projected expenditure by the board in 2002-03 and how much any such shortfall is, broken down by NHS trust and hospital.

Malcolm Chisholm: Resources are allocated to NHS boards on the basis of need. Boards are held to account for managing within the allocations made to them and for achieving national and local targets.

  The Health Department will support boards to achieve these targets through regular monitoring and performance management.

NHS Funding

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27063 by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 July 2002, whether it will provide additional funding to West Lothian Health care NHS Trust in order to assist the trust in addressing its funding deficit.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS Lothian has received its fair share of funding. In 2002-03 NHS Lothian will receive record investment of over £754 million, a 6.8% increase on 2001-02. Distribution of this allocation is a matter of local negotiation.

  As mentioned in the answer given to question S1W-27063, the Scottish Executive Health Department is constantly monitoring and reviewing West Lothian Health care Trust’s financial position against the agreed recovery plan. The trust’s financial position remains in line with the recovery plan.

  The Scottish Executive Health Department, NHS Lothian and the trust continue to work together to deliver the recovery plan.

NHS Hospitals

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27065 by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 July 2002, whether it will publish the national guidance on car parking charge practice issued to NHS trusts.

Malcolm Chisholm: In accordance with standard practice, the national guidance on car parking charges was published in Management Executive Letter (MEL) (2000) 13, dated 17 March 2000, copies of which are available to the public through The Stationery Office. Should the guidance be revised following the current review, it will be published in a Health Department Letter (HDL) and made available in the same way.

NHS Services

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Health Department’s business case procedure requires that, prior to monies being allocated to a capital project from public funds, private finance must first be pursued and whether there is any minimum cost figure that applies before private finance must be sought.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Health Department’s business case procedure requires NHS trusts and boards to fully examine all procurement options in developing capital projects. The only projects which will be pursued as PPP/PFI however, will be those that are both affordable to the NHS trust or board and deliver better value for money than an equivalent publicly funded solution. There is no minimum cost threshold which must be met before projects are considered suitable for PPP/PFI funding.

NHS Services

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed new Health Resource Centre for Largs is on schedule for completion and when it is expected to be operational.

Malcolm Chisholm: It is the responsibility of NHS boards and trusts to address issues relating to the provision of services in their areas.

  The information requested is available from Ayrshire and Arran Primary Care NHS Trust.

NHS Spending

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Health Department’s business case procedure could result in a capital project being delayed while funding is pursued from outwith the public sector.

Malcolm Chisholm: It can extend the timescale for beginning construction work in particular cases but overall it speeds up the delivery of capital projects.

Parliamentary Questions

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive by what process it decides which minister answers a written parliamentary question.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: In general, written parliamentary questions are answered by the minister with the relevant portfolio interest.

Police

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-24184 and S1W-27027 by Mr Jim Wallace on 2 April and 17 July 2002, why the information requested was given in respect of Fife Constabulary but not in respect of the other police forces.

Mr Jim Wallace: Ordinarily this information is not held centrally. The information given in respect of Fife had been provided to officials in another context. The other Scottish forces had not provided similar information.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27013 by Mr Jim Wallace on 17 July 2002, what records are kept of the number of incidents incurring penalty points under the contract for HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  HM Prison Kilmarnock records all relevant incidents using SPS Incident Reporting Procedures, the database for which is maintained by SPS. Separate records are kept in the prison and at SPS of those incidents on which Performance Points are applied in accordance with the definitions in Schedule F to the contract.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27013 by Mr Jim Wallace on 17 July 2002, whether any error has ever been made in calculating the penalty points that should be imposed on the operators of HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No.

Scottish Executive Expenditure

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it plans to spend on advertising, broken down by media type, in each department in the current financial year.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26486 on 20 June 2002.

Scottish Executive Staff

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) duties and (b) departments are of its 40 new policy analysts.

Mr Andy Kerr: The roles of policy analysts vary. All will be team leaders and most will be responsible for a discreet policy area. Their duties are likely to include developing, implementing or evaluating policy, preparing briefing and speeches for ministers, giving evidence to Parliamentary Committees, and representing the Executive at meetings and in exchanges with a wide range of organisations. Some policy analysts may also be called upon to manage substantial projects or to be responsible for significant numbers of staff and large-scale financial resources.

  Successful applicants from the Policy Analyst recruitment exercise could be assigned to work in any part of the Scottish Executive. Decisions on the posts to which successful applicants are to be assigned will take account of the skills and experience of the applicants and the vacancies available at the time they are able to take up appointment. The Executive’s vacancy position changes over time as a result of internal movement.

Voluntary Organisations

Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which voluntary organisations have been allocated (a) direct and (b) indirect grants in 2002-03 and how much was allocated in each case.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Executive has released today, a spreadsheet detailing direct and indirect grants to voluntary organisations in 2002-03 In 2002-03 the Executive will be providing £228.4 million directly and £131.3 million indirectly - almost £360 million in total - to the voluntary sector in Scotland. This is an increase of £17 million from last year, reflecting the Executive’s commitment to the sector.

  Copies of the spreadsheets are available from the Parliament’s Reference Centre and the Scottish Executive website.

Waste Management

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the implementation of EC Regulation 2037/2000, where financial responsibility for the disposal of refrigerators will lie once the current backlog of refrigerators has been cleared.

Ross Finnie: Financial responsibility for the disposal of all household waste, including domestic refrigerators and freezers, currently lies with local authorities. That will continue to be the case until the manufacturers and distributors of such equipment become liable under the producer responsibility provisions of the prospective Directive on Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (probably during 2005-06).

  Financial responsibility for the disposal of commercial refrigeration equipment currently lies with the owner or holder of that equipment. The draft directive provides that manufacturers and distributors should bear an element of these costs.

Waste Management

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on paragraph 44 of the fourth report of the House of Commons select committee on environment, food and rural affairs, Disposal of Refrigerators.

Ross Finnie: The Executive has noted this report, which was carried out by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee of the House of Commons as a part of its remit to scrutinise the work of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The UK Government will be responding to this report.